Bodies recovered from the MH17 crash site will be transferred to Amsterdam as soon as pro-Russian separatists agree to their transfer out of rebel territory, the Ukraine prime minister says.

An emotional Arseniy Yatsenyuk told a press conference in Kiev that the “key priority” was to recover the bodies, and to “unfold to the entire world the truth” of what had destroyed the plane and killed its passengers.

His comments came as reports began to filter through of renewed fighting about 60 kilometres from the crash site. Government forces are believed to be trying to retake the city Donetsk from pro-Russian rebels.

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Reuters reported on Monday night that three people had been killed.

Earlier on Monday, three members of a Dutch disaster victims Identification team arrived in Donetsk, hoping to check the remains of some of the victims of the plane crash. A team of Malaysian officials was also due to arrive on Monday.

Artillery fire sent plumes of smoke skywards, as minibuses brought dozens of rebels to the area in the centre of the city and people fled.

"It is dangerous near the railway station!" the Donetsk city council said on its website, asking residents in the area to stay indoors.

Donetsk is about 60 kilometres from the Torez train station, where the bodies of MH17 victims are being stored in refrigerated wagons. The Dutch forensic experts examined the bodies on Monday.

Workers from the Ukranian Emergencies Ministry transfer the bodies of MH17 victims on to a truck on Monday. Photo: Getty Images

‘‘I think the storage of the bodies is [of] good quality,’’ Peter Van Vliet, the forensic expert leading the Dutch team, said after examining the corpses.

The expert, speaking as 50 armed insurgents looked on, said his team would head to the main crash site about 15 kilometres away.

The investigators were accompanied by a team of international monitors from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) who have been visiting the impact site over the past few days.

Latest scenes from the Ukraine

On Sunday armed rebels forced emergency workers to hand over all 196 bodies recovered from the Malaysia Airlines crash site and had them loaded Sunday onto refrigerated train cars bound for a rebel-held city.

In the Netherlands, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said the priority is to move the bodies to Kiev-controlled territory.

‘‘The first aim is to get the trains out and let them go to Ukrainian-controlled territory, preferably Kharkiv,’’ Mr Rutte said, referring to a city about 300 kilometres away, which has remained firmly in Kiev’s hands.

‘‘The separatists have said that international observers must be present when the train leaves ... the Dutch experts are international observers ... they can fulfil that role.

"We want our people back.’’

The pro-Western authorities in Kiev accuse the rebels of shooting down the Malaysia Airlines plane on Thursday and killing all 298 people on board. The separatists deny they are to blame.

Malaysia Airlines said on Monday night it will make an initial payment of $US5000 ($A5410) as a goodwill gesture to families of passengers aboard flight MH17.

The airline said it was also providing families with hotel accommodation, meals and transport assistance, in addition to counselling.

Negotiations are still under way to give the train carrying the bodies of victims safe passage out of separatist-controlled territory east of Donetsk.

Mr Yatsenyuk said, through an interpreter, that so far the separatists had not allowed the train to move.

“Motivated and led by Russia, the terrorists do not allow us to evacuate all the bodies and to abandon the station of Torez in order to bring them to the designated place,” he said.

He added in English: “These bloody guerrillas do not allow the train to leave the area. We expect that the train will leave the area as soon as possible.”

Crash investigation and forensic work would be transferred to a Dutch-led international team, including Australian experts, he said, pledging that the investigation would be “all-embracing, full-fledge and transparent”.

“Ukraine is ready to transfer the co-ordinating role on the investigation of this terrible tragedy to our western partners,” he said.

“The Netherlands can head this process in a clear co-ordination with the Ukrainian structures and the entire international community.”

The ultimate destination of the bodies was therefore up to that international team.

Mr Yatseniuk said the autopsies and other forensic work on the bodies would take place outside Ukraine.

“We are ready to transfer all bodies directly to Amsterdam as one of the best well-equipped forensic laboratories is located in Amsterdam,” he said.

“The key priority for us is to recover the bodies, to collect all evidence of this crime... We facilitated a route how to deliver these bodies to any destination which is needed including Kiev or Amsterdam. In Amsterdam we can get the perfect forensic expertise as our Dutch partners can provide well-equipped facilities.

“There is not indication of any kind of military activity or counter-terrorist operation at the area of crash site. We do understand our responsibility. Because the key priority is to collect all evidence and to have thorough investigation.”

Mr Yatesnyuk said there was “no doubt” that the plane was shot down by missile launch experts trained in Russia.

“This is why this terrible international tragedy, this international crime against humanity has to be investigated by the international commission and I emphasise once more we are ready to for the Netherlands to take up the management of the investigation and co-ordination as a country that suffered most of all, involving all the international community.”

“Those who committed this international crime, those responsible will be held accountable and together with the entire international community we will bring to justice everyone responsible. Including the country which is behind this scene but supplied illegal weapons, provided the financial support, trained these bastards and supported and even orchestrated this kind of despicable crime.

The search and rescue operations on Sunday involved 810 people, including 335 Ukraine emergency services workers in 35 units – 20 of whom were divers searching a local lake.

The search area has expanded to about 120 square kilometres, the government said.

Three Australian embassy representatives had touched down in Kharkiv, and will be part of a 31-strong team of international experts on its way to the crash site.

The downing of the airliner has intensified calls for the fighting to end in eastern Ukraine.

Sergei Kavtaradze, an official of the rebels' self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, said there were at least four tanks and armoured vehicles trying to break through into the city.

A spokesman for Ukraine's military operations in eastern Ukraine said the operation was in an "active phase" but could not comment on reports of troops entering Donetsk because he did not want to give away the Ukrainian strategy.

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